Sail-boat



(No Mod eL) I 'P.F. GAUGHEN.

. SAIL BOAT. No. 369,175. I Patented Aug. 30,1887.

UNTTED STATES PATENT O EICE.

IETER F. GAUGHEN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SAIL-BOAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369,175, dated August 30, 1887.

Application filed May 4, 1887. Serial No. 237,090. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PETE F. GAU'GHEN, of laoston, in the county of. Suffolk, State of Massaehusetts, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvementin Sail-Boats, of which the following isa description sufliciently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which said invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, form ing part of this specification, in Which Figure'l is a side elevation of a sail-boat embodying my improvement, and Fig. 2 an end view of the same with the rudder removed.

Like letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts'in the different figures of the drawings.

My invention relates more especially to means for preventing sailboats from eapsizing in rough water, or when struck by a sudden flaw of wind; and it consists in a novel con struction'and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed, the object being to produce a more desirable boat of this character than is now in ordinary use.

The nature and operation of the improvement will be readily understood by all conversant with such matters from the following explanation.

In the drawings, A represents the hull ofthe boat; B, the keel; O, the mast; D, the sail, and E the rudder, the hull, mast, sail, and rudder being all of the ordinary formand construction, excepting as hereinafter specified.

The keel B is preferably composed of lead or similar material, and instead of being rigidly secured to the hull A, as is ordinarily the custom, it is provided at either end with an upwardly-projecting arm, as z, and is suspended from or pivoted on bolts 2 and 3, passing horizontally through said-arms and respectively secured in the stern and bow of the hull at the lowest possible point in such a manner that it will swing laterally under said hull. The arm 2 extends somewhat above the bow at of the boat, and the mast O is secured to the top thereof by straps t, or in any other suitable manner. The arm 02 extends upward behind the stern-post of the boat, between said post andadownwardly-projecting bracket, 0, which is secured at its upper end to the stern G. The bolt 3 passes through the lower end ofsaid bracket, and also through the arm a, and is seeured in the stern post, said bracket being provided with eyes b, into which the rudder'E hooks in the usual manner. Holes 5 are also provided in the bracket 1;, arm w, and the sternpost of the boat, so arranged as to register with each other, in which a bolt, d, may be inserted when it is desired to render the keel B fixed or immovable.

In the use of my improvement the boat is guided and operated in the usual manner. The wind filling the sail D causes it to careen or be forced to one side, as shown in Fig. 2; but the sheets 3 being secured to the boom F and within the standing-room l, in the usual manner, tend to prevent the sail from being carried over sufficiently far to touch the water. The keel operates as a counter-balance to the mast and sail, and when the sail is thrown over, as described, the keel is immediately swung in the opposite direction by means of the arm a, (see Fig. 2,) to which the mast is secured, thus maintaining the center of gravity of the hull in its normal position and causing the boat to ride on an even keel/f it being practically impossible for it to be upset by sudden gusts or flaws of wind.

I am aware that the mast has been heretofore rigidly connected to a swinging keel, but in that case the keel was pivoted above the center of gravity of the hull instead of at the lowest points, as in my invention. As a result, whena squall inclined the sail, mast, and keel from a vertical position, the force of the wind and the weight of both sail and keel tended rather to capsize the hull by pulling it over to leeward than otherwise. I do notclaim, broadly, a pivoted keel and a mast connected thereto.

My improvement is especially valuable for use on life-boats of the class ordinarily carried by steamships and large vessels, which are sometimes required to sail long distances in stormy weather, as it enables them to bemore leavily loaded and decreases the danger of filling the boat with water or capsiziug it. The use of my improvement also enables a sail-boat to come about much more quickly than when the keel is attached rigidly to the hull and greatly lessens the danger of jibing, as the resistance of the water on the keel while moving laterally through it tends to take the ICO strain from the sail as it is thrown over and prevents it from slatting.

I do not confine myself to securing the mast to the arm 2 by means of straps t, as a socket may be cut vertically in the base of the mast and the top of the arm 2 be inserted therein; or any suitable means for rigidly attaching the mast to said arm may be employed. Neither do I confine myself to the use of the bolt (2 in the stern for rendering the keel stationary, as it may be omitted; or a bolt at the bow of the boat would serve the same purpose.

Having thus explained my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a sailboat of the character described, the keel B, provided with the upwardly-projecting arms .90 z, in combination with the hull A and bolts 2 and 3, passing through said arms into the bow and stern of the hull, respectively, at the lowest points in the latter for suspending the keel and adapting it to swing laterally under said hull, substantially as described.

2. In a sail-boat of the character described,

the hull A, keel B, provided with upwardlyprojecting arms :0 2, bolts 2 and 3, passing through said arms into the bow and stern of the hull, respectively, at the lowest points in thelatter, mast O, rigidly secured to said arm 2, and the removable bolt d, adapted to be passed through one of said arms into the hull at a point remote from the pivot-bolt, for the purpose described.

3. In a sail-boat, the swinging keel B, having vertically-arranged arms or .0, in combination with the hull A, having the downwardlyprojecting bracket 12, secured to the stern G outside ofsaid arm 0:, and provided with eyes I), the rudder E, pivoted in said eyes, the bolt 3, passing through the arm wand bracketvinto the stern G, the bolt 2, passing through the arm z into the bow m, and the mast G, secured" 

